I am tired...

Le Target is my Favorite

Seriously Target has my heart. Nothing is better then the awesome styles they have going all year long. Except discovering that there was more then I thought leftover on my birthday giftcard, snagged this chic hippie Nicole style baby for $20. It is big, slouchy, deep enough to swallow my arm, and soft. Perfect.

The Doctor wears Prada

Today was the day for me to see the doctor due to a high blood pressure reading I got a week ago. So after talking it over with Casey and my mom (whose health history I seem to be following), I made an appointment knowing that I would have to be paying out of pocket. Luckily everything turned out to be MORE then fine at the doctor's office, with only the suggestion that I might want to lose some weight (duh!). But I figured since I was talking to her to have her check out a bump I have had on my shoulder for three+ years, with skin cancer fears in the back of my mind. Turns out it is just a small cyst and there is no reason to bother it since it seems to be decreasing. When I was checking out with another appointment for next week to get some blood work done, I found out that I got to pay my doctor another $35 just to look at the bump on my shoulder. That means she earned $35 for that minute. Seriously, that is ridiculous, which I told her so. I was also really tempted to tell her that her gold Prada shoes were tacky, but ummm, I chickened out. Damn why does health care have to be so expensive??

Visable rooms and the process.

Today I am tackling all the visible rooms simply because a neighbor is coming over tonight. It is amazing what is laying around in them. The front room has become a between trip dumping grounds. Casey tends to leave his suitcase in it when he comes home from a trip, and then leaves the extras that he doesn't take with him on his next trip end up on the floor. The shear amount of laundry laying around downstairs is surprising to me once I actually open my eyes and look for it. That and the shoes, which I am the biggest repeat offender. I think I have about 5 pairs hanging out downstairs right now, ugh!



So what is my room cleaning/purging process. First, I start with two garbage bags, simply so I don't have to leave the room and further distract myself when one gets full. Then I assemble as many laundry baskets as possible. One for laundry, one for stuff that belongs upstairs, one for stuff that belongs downstairs, and if needed one for stuff that belongs solely in the office. I also have about half dozen of those plastic dishpan tubs, I use these for Alex stuff and garage stuff. they are small enough that he can handle them, and the amount of stuff it can hold is not overwhelming for him to put away quickly. And of course I have my bucket of cleaning supplies and a roll of paper towels. I then clear all the surfaces of random junk and pick up all the stuff from the floor. I also take this time to straighten shelves and bookcases, this is not the time to reorganize everything just make it look better then it did. Once the room looks like it should be and is cleared of everything that doesn't belong there, I clean from the top down.



With this mega cleaning I have been fully cleaning the walls, it is amazing how much dust collects on them, as well as little dangley dust strings that hang from the stucco ceiling. Gotta love my Dyson for this job. I next dust everything, wash windows and picture frames, have any pillow covers or blankets for this room in the wash, and finally end up vacuuming the floor boards and floors.



One other things I do to freshen the room is to clean with the windows open, which I have been able to do this week because of the rain, it keeps the temperature and humidity down to a bearable amount. Fresh air is critical to really clean a room. It gets out all the allergens and random stinkies for the room. I can all most see those stinkies shrinking down to nothingness and then pop into a speck of glitter. Ahhhh, clean!



One thing that tends to happen just because we have ALOT of stuff, is my laundry baskets I use for sorting fill up. At that point I take the basket and do a tour of the house to deposit just inside the door of the room anything that belongs there. I will only ever not do this is there is an easily accessible home for the object. I really have to be strict with myself on this one because I am so easily distracted with a "quick organizing" project that pulls me away from the room I am trying to focus on. So i do this as quickly as possible, like in five minutes or less.



As I finish a room I make a mental list of the mini projects I want to tackle later. Things like bookcase regorgs, cabinet purges, drawer organizations, under the sink mass exoduses, etc. These small projects are the one thing that majorly distract me from the overall room cleaning. So they have been pushed to other days. Days when I don't mind spending an hour on the cabinet under the kitchen sink. I just have to remember to actually get to those projects.

So today is all about the entire downstairs, except the laundry room. We have a fairly open floor plan downstairs, which means the mess in the kitchen is wide open to the living room, and if tea time is in the plans then the mess has to be dealt with. So see you later, I have cleaning to do!

July Listed

• More and more rain is here and on its way. We are so completely saturated that the creeks and rivers are filling up within an hour of the first drop. It is a bittersweet blessing, good because our aquifer fills up, we don't have to water the lawns, and rain is just great. But it is also causing major flooding, a neighborhood about 20 miles from us flooded today, a friends pastor was killed by lightening while hiking with his sons today, the creek behind us has been raging for about 2 days now and is only 10 feet from its max point (which means being super close to cresting into our yard). I have become a full fledge weather junkie.
• Alex is ready to go for school, even though it is a month away. Few things are as satisfying as new school supplies and a size larger clothes. We are all so excited!
• I have started planning out my cub scouts Wolf year, so fun! It is great this time because they are a bit more mature, are solo on their accomplishments instead of doing everything as a parent team, and my den size has reduced to 6! So excited for this upcoming year.
• Alex started a new session of swimming, he is doing so great. He can do floats, glides, and is perfecting his backstroke right now. We love the program he is in, and he says he wants to continue for a while, which is fine by us. ;)
• I have been super cleaning and purging, in fact I made one big trip to the donation station today. Tomorrow will have another one. I am tackling each room from top to bottom. I usually get distracted taking things to the places they belong and before you know it I am knee deep in another organization mess. This technique is working great! I am amazed at how much stuff we stash, gosh it mind boggling.
• Every morning when my friend and I walk/run (yes we are graduating to running!) we have to dodge thousands of mini frogs. These little guys are smaller then my pinkie nail, so cute and so small!
• Domesticity has been on my mind lately. Everything from cleaning, to organizing, to paint, and wall art. As I have been moving from room to room, I am noticing all the little things to touch up, to replace, and to make lovely. Speaking of Making it Lovely, this site has been such an inspiration. Love her finds!
• I have been having a hard time falling asleep lately, my mind just doesn't settle and I toss and turn for a while. There is just so much to think about...
• I have a doctor's appointment Thursday that has all ready started changes in my life. Good changes, lots of change, admittedly hard changes, but damn I am ready and want them.
• And last but not least, I just have to confess that I am totally addicted to my blog reader.

A Rare treat

Yesterday when I got the chance to settle down on the couch and crochet, I discovered that Dirty Dancing was just getting ready to start. I have to let you know that Dirty Dancing is one of my all time favorite movies, but it is one of those movies that I usually watch solo since Casey can't stand it. He even bought me the DVD so I wouldn't submit him with it, but could watch it when ever I wanted to.

My love for DD started when it came out, my mom actually let me play hooky from school and we went out to a theater in San Marcos to watch Baby and Johnny grind it out. Then a couple years later my best friends 4 year old little sister would race down stairs in her cut out jeans and midriff shirt and white Keds every time the Mambo scene would come on. It was one of those movies that we would play certain scenes over and over to try and learn every single dance, dirty and respectable.

Fast forward to this week and it was the one category on the World Series of Pop Culture that I could answer every question. I had no clue I knew it as well as I do. What made Yesterdays DD treat even better was that when Casey finished up some mad Gaming spree with Alex, he didn't change the channel AND I even got to fill him in on the back story, like why was Baby learning the dance, and who really got Penny pregnant. And why the scene when Johnny busts out his window with a fence post while " This Overload" is playing in the background was so hot. Ooohhh the rain, the black outfit, and tough bad guy illusion, so hot. It got my middle school heart a pounding and it still gets my 30ish heart bumping too!

The thing that really gets me about yesterdays movie treat is that it totally made me forget that we saw the new Harry Potter yesterday, seriously the only impression that I was left with was that Daniel Radcliff has turned into a man...and Harry is packing some heat!

Rain Rain Go Away

Once again we are having major rain and major flooding. Usually in our area we get about 1.25 inches in the month of July, we have had 7+ inches all ready, with another 10 days of storms in our outlook. Parts of one major freeway has closed, right at the airport. Casey is going out to pick up my Dad from the airport tonight, so my Mom doesn't have to deal with the rain and road closures. So please keep them in your prayers.

In other news, we have a new car! We now are the owners of a BMW, woo hoo for a reliable car. It is so nice to know that when i get in the car it will start and run and NOT die on me. Whew!

Okay, I am off to snuggle up on the couch with a cup of tea and my endless Granny Square Afghan. I am finally going to finish up those last 5 rounds, and then it will be DONE!! Woo HOO!!

What is that smell?

I woke this morning at 4:07 am smelling something, not a bad smell, but in fact quite good. Something possibly food based, but I won't ever know for certain because I was still in that in between state of sleep and waking up. But I stayed up because I totally forgot to set my alarm for my morning walk with Sharon. And I can't have my friend standing on my stoop in the dark while I am snuggled up in bed with Casey. That would be just rude.

After a walk, some business, some Alex scheduling, and some calendar reviewing I finally got around to visiting my coffee pot. Oh lovely pot full of caffeine that is so much better when cream meets you. Oh pot that drips black gold into my mega mugs and keeps me going when I really just want to join my still sleeping family upstairs. Oh coffee I love you, we will be best friends forever. Or at least until I develop acid reflux.

So who is your best friend at O'dark thirty?

Listen and See

Driving down the road the other day Alex declared that the singer for Plain White Tee's was white. He also said that Dave Matthews was black. And he thinks that Justin Timberlake might be a white computer. Swear to God our kid is a genius. So we tested him some more, he got the Chili Peppers right, as well as Coldplay, but he thinks they might have a cold or something cause they talk funny.

He wouldn't believe me, even when I showed him a picture of Dave Matthews, that Dave is white. He did say he thinks Leroy is the one actually singing, because * Duh mom* he is the black one. At this point I don't know if I am pulling his leg or him mine.

I have a confession

I have a cleaning confession that I just have to declare. Remember when I professed my love for Lemon scented Pine Sol? I only bought the pine sol because I saw a very chic and tidy looking women shopping at the grocery store and in the very bottom of her cart I spied the bright yellow bottle of cleaning solution. Next thing I know, my cart is magically in the cleaning isle and a bottle is nestled between paper towels and milk in my very own basket.

I am a Closet cleaning supple Poser... but my house smells so good right now!

Darkest part of night

I had the chance to sleep in today, but once I was up at 4:30, I do believe I turned that sleeping corner. All of a sudden my blankets were too hot, but my exposed skin was too cold. The dogs were up and staring at me on the bed, coffee was the only thing I could taste, and I had to pee. The real kicker was when Betty decided to go downstairs first, which immediately made me jump up and run down stairs to let her outside. No front room presents for me! So now I sit here with coffee in hand, in a lovely mug care of Robin, my day listed out, my washer sloshing in the laundry room, and the sun still hasn't risen. Neither has Alex.

Some things that have been on my mind:

• Betty is getting to be old. She even is acting really old. She walks like an old lady and she has run into me twice because her eyesight is failing even more.
• I really dislike the fabric used as curtains in my kitchen, I am so ready to rip them off the walls, but that involves removing the cornice above our big window and then removing the supporting 2x4 that the dang fabric is wrapped around.
• Espresso colored paint... ummmm.
• Ikea, can you tell that I am in a household mood?
• Frogs are everywhere right now. Hundreds of small frogs and toads are all over our yard due to the crazy amounts of rain and flooding we had. Hate those little buggers.
• The new school year feels like it is right around the corner. I am getting excited for Alex's 2nd grade year, hopefully we got the teacher we requested. She is awesome and the lead teacher for his grade level. Plus I have had a huge urge to go supply shopping, love all the stuff when it is new and clean and perfect.

$4 .vs. $20

They smell like weeds, feel like weeds, but they don't look like weeds, so they must be flowers! Flowers that look even better in a small creamer, flowers that look lovely with Alex's bowl of strawberries. Flowers that look happy everywhere that I have toted them in the house. so far they have lived on my nightstand, in our bathroom, next to my laptop on the kitchen table, they have visited the deck and front room, and are right now looking adorable next to the not so adorable TV remotes. Oh for the love of flowers...

When I was a kid we lived in La Costa. Between La Costa and Encinitas, decades before the super Target and mega subdivisions went in there were miles of flower fields carved from the sandstone cliffs. One field had a ramshackle, literally built with wooden crates, stand that sold armloads of the fresh cut flowers. My mom would buy armloads, hers and mine, of a dozen different type of flowers for maybe $20. She would pull out the tall heavy glass vases when we got home and would liter every flat surface with those clear pillars of bright flowers.

Today, I get a creamer full of flowers for $4. Oh what a sweet creamer it is though...

Play Work Play Work Play

Officially my seven day stretch of play is over, which means it is time to switch from my play shoes to my work shoes. My work days are bookended with play day though, so those fun funky sparkly wedges won't be lonely for too long.

Obviously my play days are have been true play days, so ignore the dirty floor. Pretty please.

Orange twilight

Today was the first day that marked the slow turn into the end of summer for me. School supplies are showing up in the stores, with aisles and aisles of Primary colored packages. I saw bathing suits on clearance today. I scheduled an appointment for September today. I saw pumpkins and pine cones at the craft store. I stood on the edge of the redneck water slide pool and felt all the sun warmed water ribbon past my ankles and feet. I painted my toenails today a deep dark red. I started a scarf that promises to be warm and cozy. I flipped through pages of learning in the college catalog today. I made a list of school needs for Alex including a new lunchbox, underwear, and a proper jacket. I happily mulched up my slowly dying flowers under the tree and thought about mums. I listened to Alex sing Hey Delilah on the way home tonight, and felt the slow turn of time. I could feel age and transitions. I came home and stared at my wrinkles and 30ish skin, and lathered on the contents of a small green jar. I looked around our home and saw lived in signs from the last 3 years. I looked around and saw a patina gleam to everything instead of the bright shine of Summer and Spring. Can you see it?

Cause that is how we roll yo

Once again the Grand Am broke down, and once again she is in the shop, has been since Monday. So we have a rental, a 300 Charger something. All I know is she is blue, big, and has a CD player. Alex and I have all ready picked out our compilation for the day. Little bit of Gwen, little bit of Chili Peppers, little bit of Monkey Business, and some various Snow Patrol and Imogen Heap singles. Lovely bits of music.

Fly Aways

I need to remember to at least brush my hair on my days off. Oh what glorious days off they have been so far! Movies, books, crafting, rain, and shopping. Here is to 4 more days of play!

Peachy Keen

Nothing beats local produce, these mega peaches came from today's farmers market and a little orchard about 60 miles from here. These lovely gems will be turned into a cobbler for tomorrow, a dessert to enjoy with all the soaking rain we have been receiving.

I am now off to re-organize and inventory our pantry because there is a serious amount of food in there.

No Obligations

My day is done, my makeup is off, my hair is down, my pj's are on, I am ready for a full 7 days off with no obligations. Seven days with my family, seven days to cook, seven days to go bare faced and bare foot, seven days without an alarm clock, seven days to relax and get rid of my Excedrin dependency. Seven days to get rid of those dark circles, to catch up on laundry and dusting. Seven days to maybe scrap again, to take loads of pictures, to see movies and read books, and maybe even soak in my tub again. Seven days off with out outside obligations.